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Tuesday, May 10, 2016

WotF Recap, Part 2: The Art (with Autumn Evelyn)

In my last entry, I talked about "The Sun Falls Apart," the story of mine that won 1st Place in Writers of the Future. But the winning stories are just one side of the coin. The other is the Illustrators of the Future contest, which highlights up and coming artists the same way the writing contest finds promising new authors. Each illustrator winner is then assigned one of the winning stories and tasked with creating an illustration for inclusion in the annual anthology.

Seeing my illustration (shown right) for the first time was one of my favorite moments at the workshop. I've had stories illustrated before, and it's always very cool--but it's nothing like being led into a room framed with a halo of beautiful images, anxiously bouncing your eyes from one easel to the next in search of the one you inspired. Then you turn around and the person who created this wonderful interpretation is standing right there. And you get to hang out with them and pick their brain! It's always awesome to speak to a reader who really gets your story, but it's something else entirely when they're able to take that understanding and make art of their own.

My illustrator, Autumn Evelyn (credited in the anthology as Christina Alberici), played off the themes and symbolism in my story and created an illustration that took my breath away. It's hanging on the wall next to my desk now, and the charge I get when I look at it still hasn't gone away, weeks removed from that big unveil.

Autumn is an illustrator and BFA graduate of the University of the Arts, where she studied illustration and animation. Her style features a combination of surreal and fantastical characters, each painted in deeply imaginative settings. Her work is created completely in digital form, and portfolio includes book covers, editorial articles, as well as Sci-fi/fantasy artwork.

I invited her to stop by my little corner of the interweb for a chat about her work, the contest, and where she's headed next. She was gracious enough to oblige.

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J.W. Alden: Thanks for stopping by, Autumn! I'm a little biased, but I think your illustration for "The Sun Falls Apart" is stunning. How did you arrive at that image?

Autumn Evelyn: First of all thank you. That really means a lot to me that you think that.

After I read your story, I started writing out what exactly happens in the theme and some key points. I started writing more and more in order to narrow it down and illustrate what it is that I want it to say. The more I write the easier it is to illustrate, as it unclouds my message. Once I am able to summarize what I want to say in a sentence or two, that's when I really feel like I have something worthwhile. Here is where I want to spend the time making sure that it is worth the amount of time and effort it takes to make a painting. I feel like I do more writing than sketching sometimes, but the pictures come together more easily once I have a clear thought or feeling, so I waste less time in the sketching process.

JW: Is this your typical process, or does it vary? How does your work usually get from your head to the canvas?

AE: Honestly, it depends on the piece. Every piece of work that I've ever made required something different. I'd like to think that I have a process down by now, but life always tends to throw little curve balls here and there. I think that I start by playing with words, which then develop into images, which then I am able to develop into a more complete visual language. So what I have is a basic outline of a process that I'm able to adapt into whatever I need it to be. Whenever I make a new piece, it's not so much that I am building on something existing, but rather starting over and building something from nothing. That is one of the challenges of painting, but it is also what makes it wonderful and fulfilling.

JW: Have you been pursuing that wonder and fulfillment your entire life? Where did this all begin for you?

AE: I have been drawing and painting since as long as I can remember. I think I always had an artistic sense. When I was little, I would draw so much that I would burn through piles and piles of paper. I never had a sketchbook until I was older, but my parents had to purchase printer paper in bulk because it would all mysteriously disappear. I was eventually given a toy board similar to an etch a sketch but with a pen to draw on due to the constant paper shortage. When you dragged the clapper back and forth it would clear the screen. I would like to think that was my first tool other than pen and paper in making art. I would use it constantly and go off in my own world creating scenarios and characters. I was the type of child who could make a toy from a found piece of string and create an entire make believe existence from it. I could play with anything quietly for hours. It was all up in my head.

JW: The word "surreal" seems an accurate descriptor for much of your work. Do you feel drawn to Surrealism?

AE: I find that my artwork tends to look similar to Surrealism, but people have also considered it to be Sci-Fi or Fantasy art. I think that what I try to make is something that the camera could never capture. All of those genres share the same ability.

I enjoy being able to take anything and turn it into art. I want my work to have that kind of flexibility, where I'm not bound to any specific genre or subject but still able to make it into my own. I feel that finding a very specific genre or niche is something that happens gradually over time. I think that young illustrators such as myself are jumping too fast into a niche, although I understand that in this current market, it is unfortunately necessary. As long as I have the ability to explore and play as an artist, I will continue my process in finding myself and attempt to make work that is excellent. I honestly hope that I never figure it out.

JW: Are there any other mediums you've worked with or you'd like to branch into?

I am currently brainstorming a way to get my artwork to move. I have some skills in animation and film. I want to be able to animate my work to music and still have it be my own. I'm thinking of illustrating an interpretation of contemporary dance, but without showing literally figures dancing. This is the next project that I think would help my work to grow.

JW: What else is next for you? What does the future hold?

AE: I am looking into becoming an art teacher for adults, but informally. I'm looking around local farms to do some classes and workshops, and to start teaching out of the home, as well as continuing to make work. I think that teaching would help solidify my point of view, and having the ability to help guide others towards their creative goals would be a wonderful opportunity. I'm surprised that I didn't think of this sooner, but I believe that I had to experience a lot in order to get to where I'm at now.

JW: What do you hope people take away from your work?

AE: I hope that I continue to attempt to make great work. I hope that it influences people to embrace the new, because with that comes life.

If you'd like to pick up a copy of Writers of the Future Volume 32, featuring Autumn's illustration of "The Sun Falls Apart," head to WotF32.com for a handy list of purchase links, as well as previews of the other winning stories and illustrations.